Henry Turner believes that he will be a different animal now that he is campaigning at welterweight.

Six months ago, the multi-time national amateur champion suffered the first defeat of his professional career when he was worn down and retired after nine rounds of his British and Commonwealth super lightweight title fight with Jack Rafferty. Turner departed the 140lb division immediately after the fight.

In March, Turner made his debut at 147lbs and got rid of Miguel Antin inside a round.

Stopping the Argentinean won’t have struck fear into his new welterweight rivals, but the two minutes he spent in the ring will have done wonders for the 24 year-old southpaw’s confidence.

“I think it was just the point of having to prove a point, you know what I mean? That one fight ain't going to affect me. I just wanted to go in there and put on a good performance the best I can and just show people that it's not over,” Turner, 14-1 (6 KOs), told The Ring.

“Even though it wasn’t a hard fight you still had them nerves going in there and things in the back of your head and you just want to get it out of the way.”

Turner looked like a strong, imposing welterweight against Antin.

The decision to move up in weight wasn’t a snap one made in the heat of the moment, neither was it a calculated one designed to rebrand Turner and put him on a different path to titles. Moving up to 147lbs was a necessity and something Turner and his team had thought about before the fight with Rafferty.

Rather than avoiding each other, Turner and Rafferty decided to put their unbeaten records on the line and meet in a fight that will serve both men well as they move on with their careers.

Turner boxed brilliantly but was made to work hard for every second of every round. Eventually, Rafferty’s relentless pressure and body punching told and Turner’s trainer, Al Smith, saved his man for another day.

For a lot of fighters, a first defeat highlights any shortcomings or holes in their game. In Turner’s case, the fight harshly taught him about the consequences of depleting his 5ft 10in frame too much but it also confirmed to him that he has the ability and talent to succeed at title level

“I stayed in the gym from pretty much the fight before that and if I hadn't got the British and Commonwealth title fight, I probably would have moved up after my fight before Rafferty,” he said.

“I got made mandatory and just said, ‘I'll stay in the gym and I'll do the weight as best as I can and give it a crack’. I think even if I was victorious that night, I don't think I'd have been able to defend it.

“In the first seven, eight rounds, I couldn't take anything away from my performance, I thought. Everything was spot on.

“I was moving and doing it for 12 rounds in the gym. A lot of people said, ‘Oh, he gassed.’ It wasn't a fact to my fitness because I know how hard I trained for it. I was fit, like super fit. My resting heart rate was 32, 33, which is ridiculous.

“You can't take that kind of weight out and not take a little bit away from your performance.

“I don't make any excuses for the fight. I was boxing as well as I can and all I said is Jack got it right on the night and I never. His patience paid off and you can't take nothing away from him.

“He's flying now. He’s beaten other two good kids. I personally think Jack is a force to be reckoned with at super lightweight. I think he beats most of them, to be honest.”

Turner will still need to work hard to make 147lbs but is confident that those extra seven pounds will make him a genuine force in his new division.

He will need to find his feet quickly.

Former undisputed super lightweight champion, Josh Taylor, Paddy Donovan and Lewis Crocker head a strong contingent from the British Isles and wherever Turner looks, there are attractive names and targets.

British champion, Conah Walker, is waiting for a date for a mandatory title defence against Liam Taylor whilst the talented Constantin Ursu recently won the vacant Commonwealth title.

Ekow Essuman, Harlem Eubank and Michael McKinson are also major players whilst Turner rates Pat McCormack as one of his biggest future threats.

Rather than putting a ceiling on his ambitions, the defeat to Rafferty could be the making of Turner and he can’t wait to get involved.

“They're certainly achievable,” he said of his new goals.

“The Conah Walker fight and Liam Taylor and things like that, I’d be up for taking now, definitely. I think I've got the beating of all of them kind of fighters but, yeah, it's obviously the opportunity and he’s he's got mandatories and now I'm at welterweight, I've got to work my way back into that position to get the shot. Even the European champion, Samuel Molina, there’s fights like that I'd love.

“If I could, I'd like to get maybe an EBU silver title or something like that and get myself into a mandatory for a European title fight and try and win that and then, hopefully, the British opens up a little bit and we can make a fight maybe for like a British, European and Commonwealth, you never know.

“That would be like an ideal situation but I'll take whatever I get offered and whatever title arises and what opportunity I get.”